How to Tie a Realistic Crab Fly

Crabs are an important part of many species of fish’s diets, as they frequent in many waters that act as an ideal habitat for them, making the crustaceans an excellent choice for anglers to use as bait or lure. Fly fishers specifically have various crab fly patterns they can use to hook fish, from simple puff patterns to epoxy skimmer bodies, as well as different kinds of flies that characteristically target certain species of fish. 

Realistic crab flies can be very useful and effective in many different fishing situations. You can make your own realistic crab fly out of simple stuff that’s readily available and inexpensive. The fly below in particular is mainly used to lead fish for quite a distance and it will rest on the water’s bottom as fish swim over. 

How to Make Your Own Realistic Mother of Glue Crab Fly

What You Will Need

• A Hook - A small fly fishing hook will do. 
• Thread or Lead Wire - Flat waxed thread is a great option and it can be in any color. It will be used as an underwrap for the hook as well as to tie the crab’s parts to the hook.
• Body - Furry foam or felt disks are commonly used to make the crab’s body or carapace. 
• Legs - Standard ultra chenille is also commonly used to make the legs but you can make your own from any water-friendly material you want. You should consider the color of this part, orange or brownish colors being ideal.
• Claws - You can make your own homemade claws but bait and lure shops also sell this part. 
• Eyes - The eyes can be made using lead balls attached to nylon or you can even opt for beads. You can also burn the ends of old heavy monofilament lines. You should consider the weight the material you use will put on your fly. 
• Hotspot - This refers to the wispy strands found in between the crab’s eyes and where the curve of the hook will be parallel to. Hareline Flat Diamond Braid or Crystal Flash in the color orange are favored materials to use for this part. 
• Coloring Material - To correct the color of your crab and its parts. Acrylic paint, house paint, fabric paint, clean nail polish, and even markers are all acceptable. Paint materials that offer texture are very helpful in making the crab look more realistic.
• Hot Glue Gun or Fast Bond Glue - This should be used sparingly so the crab can look more realistic. 

Making the Crab Fly

1. Cut out the shape of your crab’s body from foam or felt.
2. Cut several one-inch strands of chenille to make the legs.
3. Prepare the claws by coloring them in using the coloring materials you have.
4. Make and prepare the crab’s eyes. If you’re using an old heavy monofilament line, burn off the ends carefully until they turn into a small ball. You can perk up the eyes by coloring them in as well.
5. With the thread, wrap the hook shank just enough to cover it. Don’t cut the thread off yet as you will use it to tie in parts of the crab fly.
6. With a few strands of the material you’re using as a hotspot, wrap it around the end of the tied thread around the hook with some strands jutting out, and then tie the thread around it to secure. Cut off the excess. Be sure that it faces towards the actual hook.
7. Place the eyes with the eyeballs facing the hook along the shank and tie them in. 
8. Tie on the crab claws or adhere them using glue on the underside of where the crab body should be and secure the thread in.
9. Attach the crab body on the threaded part of the hook using a hot glue gun or fast bond glue. If you’re using hot glue, you can use a hairdryer to speed up the drying and setting process.
10. With glue, stick a small bundle of legs under the crab’s body and make them face away from the hook.
11. Decorate your crab that will suit your fishing needs. You can use UV gel to imitate the shell of the crab as well as help secure the parts on more. Adding more texture to the body while coloring it is a good tip to make your fly look natural and convincing.

Additional Tips

• To improve the castability of the crab fly, if you are using lead wire, use it sparingly and only use the glue for the tips of the claws, eyes and legs. 
• The crab fly that you just made works particularly well when you are targeting redfish, bonefish, and permit. They are fish species whose diets largely depend on crabs. 
• To cast the fly, doing a sidearm stroke at an angle rather than vertical is a good idea. It will help prevent the tendency to develop an open loop. This approach will also help allow the angler to punch a fly under a canopy when the gap between blockages and the water surface is narrow. 
• Slowly fish the crab and make tiny strips with recurring stops and slight hops to imitate the movement of crabs better and entice fish. 

A crab fly like this is great for beginners to start making if they want to get into making their own realistic fishing flies. There are many other different types of crab flies one can also make on their own using similar materials. A few examples are the Ragin’ Craven crab fly, which is a great saltwater fly used to lure in tarpon, bonefish, permit, and more. Another is the Alphlexo crab fly, which is a hybrid of the Flexo, Orvice, and various other flies, indispensable in catching silvery species like bonefish, permit, emperors, and bluefin trevally. Hopefully, you now have a better idea and understanding of how to make your own realistic crab fly and you’ll use the tips given to you to make the most of it and have a better fly fishing experience.